Abstract: The collection is primarilty publicity files of Ed Finney, mostly regarding Tex Ritter. Primarily covers the early part (1938-39)
of Ritter's career with Monogram and Grand National. Some material dates through the 1940's and also covers other actors Finney
was handling.

creator:
Finney, Edward F.

Biographical note

Edward Finney was a talent scout and producer for Grand National Studios, when he "discovered" Tex Ritter and signed him to
a contract in 1936. Grand National Studios produced "B" Westerns. Between 1936 and 1938, when the studio folded, Ritter and
Finney made 12 features together. They both then moved to Monogram in 1938. In 1941, Ritter signed on with Columbia studios.
By the time he left Monogram's employ, he and Finney had made a total of 32 B Western movies together.

Access

Collection is open for research. Appointments to view materials are required. To make an appointment please visit http://theautry.org/research/research-rules-and-application
or contact library staff at rroom@theautry.org. An item-level inventory is available from library staff.

Biographical note

Tex Ritter was born Woodward Maurice Ritter on January 12, 1905. He was an American country music singer and motion picture
actor popular from mid 1930s into the 1960s. Ritter first appeared on radio, hosting and appearing in such western shows as
"The Lone Star Rangers" and "Cowboy Tom's Roundup." In 1936, Ritter moved to Los Angeles. His motion picture debut was in
"Song Of The Gringo" (1936) for Grand National Pictures. Ritter later made "singing cowboy" movies for Universal Pictures
and Producers Releasing Corporation. January 2, 1974, Ritter passed away in Nashville, Tenn. (Source: Wikipedia)

Acquisition

Purchased from Suzanne Licht (Edward Finney's daughter)

Processing history

Processed by Library and Archives staff and Jeanette Berard, March 2000.

Use

Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry National Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the Autry Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Autry National Center
as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must
also be obtained by the reader.

Scope and contents

Publicity files of Ed Finney, mostly regarding Tex Ritter. Primarily covers the early part (1938-39) of Ritter's career with
Monogram and Grand National. Some material dates through the 1940's and also covers other actors Finney was handling. There
are some materials on Tex Ritter and the Northwesterners. The bulk of the material is press clippings, exploitation material,
still photos, and movie documentation. There are two boxes of files, some loose photographs in a binder, and some additional
materials.